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Initial Complaints Review & Case Mediation Scheme Programme Board
Date: Friday 14 March 2014
Time: 10:00 — 11.30
Place: Room 505, 148 Old street
Attendees:
Name Abbrev. I Job Title
Chris Aujard CA General Counsel (Chair)
Angela Van AVDB_ I Head of Partnerships
Den Bogerd
Belinda Crowe BC Initial Complaints Review & Case Mediation Scheme, Programme
Director
Sophie SB Initial Complaints Review & Case Mediation Scheme, Communications
Bialaszewski
Layla Wildon LW. Regulatory Risk Business Partner
Jess Barker JB Initial Complaints Review & Case Mediation Scheme, Mediation Lead
Andy Parsons AP Senior Associate, Bond Dickinson
David Oliver DO Initial Complaints Review & Case Mediation Scheme, Programme
Manager
Nicky Mal NM Initial Complaints Review & Case Mediation Scheme, PPM &
Governance Lead
Rodric RW Post Office, Legal
Williams
Andy Holt AH Business Solutions Manager C&lS
Guests
Name Abbrev. I Job Title
Lena Hameed LH Initial Complaints Review & Case Mediation Scheme
Apologies
Name Abbrev. I Job Title
Charles cc Finance
Colquhoun
Fay Healey FH Programme Board Non-Executive
Mark Davies MD Communications Director
Meeting Agenda:
1. Programme Director's Update
Budget
AOB
Pahon
Early Settlement
Performance Dashboard
Key Risks & Issues
Minutes and actions from 14/03/14 Programme Board
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No
Minutes/Action
Completion
Date
Status
Action
Owner
BC provided the Programme Director's Update to
the Board:
« The Working Group terms of reference were
approved at the meeting last Friday
e Second Sight were not able to complete their
thematic report for this meeting; their new
deadline is the 26/03 for consideration at the
next face-to-face Working Group on 01/04
« PV met with Second Sight prior to the Working
Group last week to discuss their capacity for
dealing with the number of cases in the
Scheme. They advised they were unlikely to
complete their work this year and suggested
how the Scheme could be redesigned in order
to deal with the workload; the Post Office is
considering these
e Linklaters are reviewing the legal and financial
exposure associated with the Scheme. They will
provide their findings to the Board on 26/03.
The Board may make a decision on how the
Scheme should proceed as a result of this work.
ExCo have agreed to create a sub-committee to
provide any executive steer on the outputs of
the report.
In the event there are significant changes to the
Scheme, these will need to be implemented
rapidly.
Action — NM to issue the scope paper of
Linklater’s work to the members of the
Programme Board
« MP's meeting with JA, Second Sight and JFSA
is on 24/03; PV has a pre-meet with JA on
18/03
CA highlighted a risk with regards to the flow of
information from Post Office to Second Sight
and JFSA. Second Sight has no right to be
asking for additional information pertaining to
individual cases/thematic issues. Post Office
needs Second Sight to focus on the mediation
of cases and not Second Sight’s report for MPs.
Action - escalate any information requests
from Second Sight to CA
14/03/14
On-going
Closed
Open
NM
ALL
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AVDB confirmed that the case handlers do not
have direct contact with Second Sight and that
she has already relayed this message to KA and
SH.
BC added that Second Sight tends to
communicate in an informal manner and that
Post Office should retain professionalism at all
times.
LH took the Board through the high level process for
early settlement.
The Programme Board agreed that the test cases
proposed for early settlement should be considered
by the sub-committee.
CA questioned what the status of criminal cases
was and what the process is for progressing them.
RW explained that Post Office now have a better
view as to how many criminal cases there are and
the scale of the work. A risk assessment of the
individual cases needs to be completed; could we
ask the Working Group to consider parking these for
the time being? CA proposed 2 actions:
Action - Prepare a paper for the Programme
Board (and then the Working Group) on the
proposal for dealing with criminal cases
Action - A discussion with Linklaters to alert
them of the complexity of the criminal cases
CA asked how many of the cases being investigated
under the Scheme are criminal cases, as this also
needs to be reported to Linklaters. Action - LH to
confirm how many of the cases being
investigated under the Scheme are criminal
cases
First draft
19/03/14
18/03/14
21/03/14
Open
Closed
Open
LH
RW
LH
Of 38 cases under Post Office investigation, 16 are
with Legal and the remaining are still being
investigated. It is currently taking approximately 4
weeks to investigate a case and 4 weeks to sign-off
a case. AP is reviewing how the end-to-end process
could be made more efficient and will be trialing a
new approach.
RW highlighted that prioritisation and resourcing is
a challenge: there are only 2 resources available for
signing-off reports and they are not dedicated
resources to the programme.
Action — inform Linklaters of the resourcing
challenge so that this can be considered in their
18/03/14
Closed
RW
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options paper to the Board
Action — arrange a meeting to review process
and resourcing for cases due over the next few
weeks
17/03/14
Closed
DO
The principal concern at the moment is the
uncertainty associated with the outcome of the
Linklater’s report and how the Scheme will move
forward in view of the report.
LW asked whether there was an articulated timeline
of events. Action —- BC/DO to consider how to
articulate a timeline of the key up and coming
events.
The cost of putting a stop on the destruction of data
is in the region of £40-£60k. CA said this should be
discussed at ExCo on 18/03. No action should be
taken until we have a view from the Board on the
way forward. Thought should be given on how the
Working Group is updated on this matter. Action -
AVDB to confirm the number of cases in the
Scheme that may have been affected by the
destruction of data
AH will be working with Fujitsu to minimise any
additional costs as a result of ARQ request
volumes.
18/03/14
18/03/14
Open
Open
BC/DO
AVDB
Both CC and LF were not at the Programme Board
to present the budget update. BC and SB have a
meeting with Finance on 17/03 to discuss:
e the possibility of raising any purchase orders
before the end of the financial year
* payments being made without BC’s
authorisation
*® approval for consultancy spend beyond 31/03
CA highlighted that it was wholly unacceptable that
there was no representative from Finance present
given the importance of these matters in an already
resource constrained programme. Action —- BC to
relay this message to CC and put in writing to
cD
17/03/14
Open
BC
The next Programme Board on 28/03 will be
cancelled. Action - BC to update the Programme
Board by correspondence on the Board’s
views/decision(s)
28/03/14
Open
BC
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Summary of actions
No I Action Owner I Due Date
1 NM to issue the scope paper of Linklater’s work to the members of NM Closed
the Programme Board
2_I Escalate any requests for information from Second Sight to CA ALL On-going
3 I Prepare a paper for the Programme Board (and then the Working LH First Draft
Group) on the proposal for dealing with criminal cases 19/03/14
4 I Alert Linklaters on the complexity of the criminal cases RW. Closed
5 I LH to confirm how many of the cases being investigated under the LH 21/03/14
Scheme are criminal cases
6 I Inform Linklaters of the resourcing challenge so that this can be RW Closed
considered in their options paper to the Board
7 I Arrange a meeting to review process and resourcing for cases due DO Closed
over the next few weeks
8 I BC/DO to consider how to articulate a timeline of the key up and BC/DO 18/03/14
coming events.
9 I AVDB to confirm the number of cases in the Scheme that may have AVDB 25/03/14
been affected by the destruction of data
10 I BC to relay this CA’s message to CC and put in writing to CD BC 17/03/14
11 I BC to update the Programme Board by correspondence on the BC 28/03/14
Board's views/decision(s)